Business Ethics Definition

I’m wondering how many people out there still believe sales to be a job that is focused on making money? In instances where the actor executes upon a decision made by another party, the ethics of his participation are primarily derived from his independent decision to comply with the orders he has been given. And to return to the original point, that if the action an individual undertakes to fill a need has no impact on any other party, his actions are of no interest to ethics.

Sometimes there is disconnection between the company’s code of ethics and the company’s actual practices. Business ethics applies to the conduct of individuals and to the conduct of the organisation as a whole. Questions to which Alex Oliver should know the answers: he runs The Forum for Philosophy in Business at Cambridge University. When ethics is considered in the context of religion, the value of human life is subordinate to spiritual matters.

The Avanade Code of Business Ethics (CoBE) is the compass that guides each of Avanade’s employees and contractors to live Avanade’s corporate values fully, to uphold company policies and to adhere to legal requirements. An investor, for example, may have a claim to the profits of a business but have no authority over decisions pertaining to the business. People invented ethics precisely because it does not always coincide with self interest.

Business ethics start with determining what the exact purpose of the business or company is. For example, a corporation has an ethical duty to secure the maximum return to its shareholders. Further, Novo Nordisk uses internal facilitations (value audits) to ensure compliance with our business ethics requirements.

It applies to any and all aspects of business conduct, from boardroom strategies and how companies treat their suppliers to sales techniques and accounting practices. Our Code of Ethics contains provisions regarding conflicts of interest for employees.